Your examples are what I’m talking about. There are times where I think managers are so task oriented that they fail to think through what they are asking people to do. And how long it will take. And whether it really is important to the business.

Yet, the excuse is that “business changes so fast we have to be flexible.” Sure, once every thirty years business moves that fast. But when you can’t plan your day because of the inability of managers to manage, it is no wonder that employees lose their engagement to the work. And ROWE rocks!

Your examples are what I’m talking about. There are times where I think managers are so task oriented that they fail to think through what they are asking people to do. And how long it will take. And whether it really is important to the business.

Yet, the excuse is that “business changes so fast we have to be flexible.” Sure, once every thirty years business moves that fast. But when you can’t plan your day because of the inability of managers to manage, it is no wonder that employees lose their engagement to the work. And ROWE rocks!

Always love the articles here on Cube Rules. You are definitely a “voice in the wilderness” of little square fabric-covered prisons.

I have been with my current company for over 8 years and I’d say I get at least one “hurry up and stop” project every two months. I think a lot of people like to pull a Pontius Pilate and wash their hands of tasks and say they are done when, in reality, they are still a resource to complete the tasks.

Beyond that, the lack of true results management (I am a ROWE junkie!) probably causes most of these deadend projects. They end up being busy work that someone needs done to show something was done to meet a “business initiative” or “personal development” checkpoint. Unfortunately, because such things rarely are quantified to achieve results, they are forgotten over time or actively ignored because the next initiave or checkpoint has already been started. Even when there is obvious value to a project, there may be little incentive to complete it when the attention of higher ups gets focused on something else.

Always love the articles here on Cube Rules. You are definitely a “voice in the wilderness” of little square fabric-covered prisons.

I have been with my current company for over 8 years and I’d say I get at least one “hurry up and stop” project every two months. I think a lot of people like to pull a Pontius Pilate and wash their hands of tasks and say they are done when, in reality, they are still a resource to complete the tasks.

Beyond that, the lack of true results management (I am a ROWE junkie!) probably causes most of these deadend projects. They end up being busy work that someone needs done to show something was done to meet a “business initiative” or “personal development” checkpoint. Unfortunately, because such things rarely are quantified to achieve results, they are forgotten over time or actively ignored because the next initiave or checkpoint has already been started. Even when there is obvious value to a project, there may be little incentive to complete it when the attention of higher ups gets focused on something else.